The Resy Hit List: Where In Nashville You’ll Want to Eat in Dec. 2024
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
We’ve designed it to be your essential resource for dining in Nashville: a monthly-updated (and expanded!) guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Three Things In Nashville Not to Miss This Month
- Bistro Lunch: A couple of years after discontinuing the popular lunch service at Margot Café & Bar, chef Margot McCormack has delighted her legions of fans by bringing back the midday meal Wednesday through Friday. With an ever changing menu of dishes inspired by the cuisines of France and the American South, lunch at Margot is reminiscent of the best bistros of Paris and a very civilized way to spend a languorous afternoon with friends.
- Steak and ‘Shrooms: It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Mellow Mushroom would lean in on fungi-inspired menu items like their beloved Holy Shiitake Pie, but the chain is also bringing rib eye to the party with a few new homages to the famous pairing of steak and ‘shrooms. Their new Steakhouse Pizza features an olive oil and garlic base topped with grilled steak, two kinds of mushrooms and caramelized onions. Fold it in half, and you’ve got their new Steakhouse Calzone, or take it as a handheld with Mellow Mushroom’s new Steak & Cheese Hoagie.
- Mark Your (Holiday) Calendar: It’s time to start making plans to celebrate. Fortunately, Nashville restaurants are offering to free you from meal planning duty. The Hermitage Hotel is offering a refined Nutcracker Tea throughout the month including precious tea sandwiches, pastries, and scones along with tea service and live music. The luxurious hotel is also opening its lobby on Christmas morning for an indulgent brunch buffet that should keep you full until Boxing Day. Mason’s at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel offers a more casual and sweeter version of traditional high tea with their Hot Chocolate Affair each Friday through Sunday through March. Kiddies can sip and sup on hot chocolate and pastries while the adults enjoy the optional Espresso Martini flight. Carne Mare will serve a traditional holiday Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve featuring seafood from oysters to octopus. Get out of the kitchen and leave the cooking to 1 Kitchen on Christmas Eve with their Festive Dinner courtesy of former “Top Chef” contestant Chris Crary. Keep an eye on all the latest on our Resy Events page.
New to the Hit List (Dec. 2024)
Carne Mare, Edessa, Halls Catch, Present Tense, Green Hills Grille.
1. Audrey McFerrin Park
After leaving the tables set and ready for guests for more than a year while waiting out the pandemic, chef Sean Brock finally opened his shrine to Appalachia in late 2021. Since then, Audrey has provided a meditation on the rural cooking of Brock’s youth. Open-fire cookery combines with molecular gastronomy to extract the essence of heritage ingredients like sour corn and greasy beans, creating 21st century dishes that tell the story of the hardscrapple residents of Appalachia. And Brock continues to push the cuisine forward with a perpetual reimagining of the flavors of his native region. Whether á la carte or as part of a fixed menu of the kitchen’s favorite dishes served family-style, a dinner at Audrey is always a treat.
2. Husk Nashville Rutledge Hill
For more than a decade, Husk has represented the epitome of farm-to-table fare in Nashville — with a laser focus on the mandate by opening chef Sean Brock: “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the kitchen door!” The stately Italianate mansion that is Husk’s home was once the home of a 19th-century Nashville mayor — and is reflected in the courtly hospitality — yet the cuisine continues to combine modernism with historical techniques of preservation, pickling, and some of the finest fried chicken in the land. And both kitchen and the bar staff take full advantage of the restaurant’s garden, where they grow heritage seeds into plants that show up as ingredients and garnishes.
3. Present Tense Wedgewood-Houston
The industrial zen vibe and lo-fi hip-hop soundtrack set the atmosphere at this standout modern izakaya and sake bar. Whether diners opt for á la carte service or offer themselves to the chef’s whim with an omakase experience, they’re sure to be delighted by the precisely plated parade of small dishes coming from the kitchen. Much of the menu focuses on seafood flown fresh to town from across the globe. Pro tip for sake fans: Present Tense has their own brand called Pure Land, crafted in Kyoto, with complex flavors that complement myriad dishes. Don’t be afraid to ask for pairing advice.
4. Rolf and Daughters Germantown
Natural wood brings warmth to the post-industrial exposed brick and steel girder ambiance of the converted factory that is home to chef Phillip Krajeck’s flagship restaurant. The reservation book fills quickly with intelligent patrons who know that the kitchen serves up some of the most interesting European cuisine in the entire city. The menu changes often, as the kitchen staff experiments with novel fermentations and takes advantage of the best seasonal ingredients. But the beloved heritage pork ragu with rigatoni, tomato and Parmesan is a menu stalwart that remains unchanged since opening night. The thoughtful wine list offers uncommon bottles with an emphasis on natural wines that are downright inspired, especially with some of the fermented dishes.
5. Fancypants East Nashville
From the team that brought Butcher & Bee and Redheaded Stranger to town, this is an exciting new dining option that aims to turn fine dining on its head. Offering a prix fixe menu of meticulously plated dishes, Fancypants isn’t necessarily a tasting-menu restaurant because patrons have choices among several different vegetable-forward options. Add-ons are available, and carnivores can always find something meaty to enjoy. The converted Piggly Wiggly supermarket has become a lovely dining space with a whimsical decor of pretty florals, bold colors, and an inviting outdoor patio space. Put on your stretchy pants and head here for a dining experience unlike any other in Nashville.
6. Halls Catch Nashville
The latest project from South Carolina-based Hall Management Group is right across the lobby from their first Nashville restaurant Halls Chophouse. Sharing the same fanatical attention to service and hospitality as its corporate cousin next door, Halls Catch focuses on the bounty of the sea. The dining room sets the aquatic mood with organic curves hanging from the ceiling reminiscent of ocean waves and iridescent aqua tones that mimic fish scales. The restaurant has a “48-hour rule” for their seafood and demands that every ingredient take no more than two days from the ocean to the plate. A tight selection of premium beef items are also available to create your own surf-and-turf.
7. Two Ten Jack – Nashville East Nashville
Nashville’s premier izakaya and ramen house introduced many local diners to the concept of Japanese bar culture. Beers and highball cocktails are accompanied by small plates like edamame, shishito peppers or dumplings followed by courses that become increasingly more substantial. Yakitori skewers range from vegetable bites such as corn in miso butter or wasabi avocado to heartier options like pork belly, short rib or even chicken hearts. A bracing bowl of tonkatsu ramen in a creamy pork broth with a soft egg is a meal in and of itself.
8. Green Hills Grille Green Hills
Just because the vibe at a restaurant is laid back doesn’t mean the experience can’t be top-shelf. That’s the promise of this neighborhood favorite for a generation. Fans have followed the restaurant to three different locations because they appreciate the dedication to excellent service, delicious food, and consistency. Flexible seating options allow for large parties celebrating a special occasion to graze across the eclectic, internationally inspired menu, as well as plenty of space to catch up with a friend at the bar while enjoying the creamy, cheesy spinach and artichoke dip — a menu staple for more than 20 years.
9. Carne Mare The Gulch
Nashville’s preeminent contemporary Italian steakhouse has settled in nicely in the luxurious W Hotel in the Gulch. Chef Andrew Carmellini has imported his effort from New York, with a menu that combines the regional flavors of Italy with hand-cut steaks, fresh pastas, and seafood. The clubby atmosphere of the main dining room feels like every table is a private dining experience, but the best seats offer a view into the open kitchen. The porchetta-spiced slow-roasted prime rib is a menu standout, and a dessert of baked spumoni flambéed tableside is the perfect dish to share at the end of a memorable meal.
10. The Southern Steak & Oyster SoBro
The motto of The Southern is “South of Somewhere,” which explains the eclectic menu that ranges from Gulf Coast seafood to downhome Southern specialties to Latin American and Moroccan flavors. Walking up to the restaurant, diners may see and smell sweet smoke pouring out of a vent on the side of the building as the kitchen smokes racks of ribs, unusual for a downtown restaurant on the ground floor of an office tower. An in-house butcher shop cuts steaks from huge dry-aged beef primals to create magnificent steaks and the meats for sandwiches at their quaint market and deli next door to the restaurant. Weekday lunch service and weekend brunches add even more opportunities to take a trip south.
11. Butcher & Bee – Nashville East Nashville
Although the original Charleston location of this Middle Eastern restaurant has been converted to another concept, the Nashville outpost of the Bee is still setting the standard for seasonal Israeli-inspired cuisine after almost a decade of crowd-pleasing cuisine. The whipped feta and fermented honey dip is legendary and a can’t-miss appetizer, but don’t be afraid to dig deeper into the menu for inventive shareable dishes made with local ingredients and served family-style to the table. Pro tip: Opt for the “Eat Like a Chef” experience to sample the current favorite dishes of the kitchen staff, coursed out and presented by the cooks that prepared them.
12. Pastaria West End
Pastaria offers a few different dining experiences. The airy main dining room is festive and occasionally boisterous with families sharing meals of fresh pasta and classic Italian plates together. The separate bar is a little more of a grown-up experience, the spot for friends to meet up for cocktails or a tasting from the restaurant’s expansive collection of amari and vermouths. Foodies who want to be part of the action should request seating at the pizza bar, to enjoy a front-row seat as pizzaioli ply their trade tending to pies entering and exiting from the infernally hot pizza ovens. A Pastaria pie paired with one of the best chopped salads in town is a fantastic dinner for two that won’t break the bank.
13. Bad Idea East Nashville
Beverage expert Alex Burch founded Bad Idea as a concept to bring a dynamic wine bar to East Nashville. Thanks to Burch’s fantastic wine and cocktail program and the inspired Lao-centric menu created by chef Colby Rasavong, Bad Idea has evolved into much more. The interior of the vaulted dining space is softened by natural materials accented with splashes of bold colors, and the lively bar scene adds energy to the room. A seasonally changing menu of small plates combines traditional Laotian cuisine with fun regional touches along with large format dishes sized for sharing. Open late with a limited, but no less intriguing menu, Bad Idea is the best idea for night owls seeking something more than a “last call” burger.
Call or text 629-729-4332 for reservations.
14. Edessa Elysian Fields
Nashville is home to the largest population of Kurds in the country, and their contributions to the local culinary scene are finally seeing the national spotlight since the New York Times named Edessa as one of the country’s best restaurants for 2024. For more than 20 years, Edessa has been delighting local diners with Turkish and Kurdish cuisine, including house-made hummus, kebabs, fresh-baked pita, and flavorful meze dishes, including novel preparations of regional favorites. The warm interior of the stylish restaurant creates a welcoming ambiance that is unexpected considering the strip mall exterior, but those who know what awaits inside are rewarded with some of the most flavorful and exciting food in the city.
More info here.
15. Lockeland Table Lockeland Springs, East Nashville
Few restaurants are more ingrained in their community than Lockeland Table, the sort of place where diners secure standing weekly reservations and neighbors gather frequently during the restaurant’s Community Hour to catch up on school events and support local PTOs, with a portion of the proceeds from sales of shareable small plates. The burnished copper pizza oven is a work of art and the centerpiece of the open kitchen, and the pies and roasted vegetables that emerge from the infernal oven are centerpieces of any meal at Lockeland Table. Chef Hal Holden-Bache’s signature N.Y. strip steak served with spicy chimichurri is a menu stalwart and one of the best beef deals in town.
16. The Row Kitchen and Pub Midtown
In a town with so many great dining options and live music venues, Nashville doesn’t have an overabundance of restaurants where you can enjoy dinner and a show together. That’s where the Row fits in thanks to a roster of acts that change hourly from 6 p.m. until close every night except Saturday when the music kicks off at 2 p.m. A favorite spot for a casual brunch or lunch in Midtown, The Row features decadent and down-home Southern grub from biscuits and burgers to hot chicken and catfish. A novel appetizer of a selection of different vegetables pickled in-house is a delightful start to any meal or a great bar snack during a show.
17. Margot Café & Bar East Nashville
Ever since chef Margot McCormack made the bold decision more than two decades ago to open a French-inspired and Southern-informed brasserie in a former service station in East Nashville’s Five Points neighborhood, she has continued to tune up the cuisine on that side of the Cumberland River. The menu changes nightly depending on the whim of the kitchen and the freshest seasonal ingredients that come through the back door that day. Local farmers and purveyors are the guiding inspirations for the cooking team, and loyal patrons reward them with standing weekly reservations to sup in the cozy bar or at a favorite table in the warm and inviting dining spaces.
18. Kisser East Nashville
Waits of up to an hour are common at Kisser as hungry diners line up before the restaurant opens for lunch-only service at this tiny Cleveland Park Japanese neighborhood newcomer. Husband-and-wife chef team Brian Lea and Leina Horii work their stations in the diminutive kitchen with zen-like precision, preparing their own brand of Japanese haute comfort food. Rice dishes, salads, noodles, and a chicken katsu sandwich served on delectable toasted milk bread are menu standouts, but Kisser’s version of a traditional Japanese breakfast with miso-marinated fish, three vegetables, a rolled omelet, soup, and furikake rice represents the chefs’ full culinary sensibilities in one spectacular menu item.
No reservations.
19. answer. Sylvan Park
When two long-time industry pros came together to open answer. in Sylvan Park, the new restaurant was (literally) the answer to the prayers of the burgeoning neighborhood. The primarily residential area didn’t have many spots for casual dining, and answer.’s globally-inspired menu and intentionally close-packed tables turn the dining area into a neighborhood dinner party most nights with friends catching up over drinks and peeking at nearby diners’ plates for ordering inspiration. Also popular is the restaurant’s takeaway suppers sized for two or four. Available for pick-up on Wednesdays and Sundays, these mobile meals are the ideal solution for nights you just don’t feel like cooking.
20. Fonda on 12th – Nashville 12 South
When acclaimed chef Roberto Santibañez chose Nashville as the first place to open a new iteration of his Fonda restaurant group outside of New York, many locals didn’t realize how lucky they were. The quartet of Fondas has since been joined by a fifth in Tokyo’s trendy Ginza District, so we’re sitting in some pretty high cotton. Santibañez’s modern Mexican cuisine takes the dishes and ingredients of his Mexico City hometown and adds urbane flourishes to create bold new combinations of flavors like his family’s traditional Oaxacan mole served over slices of wagyu ribeye and maitake mushrooms. Artful plating further tunes up the menu of tacos, enchiladas, and small plates to surprising heights.
